Bloody Cold

Re: How is Taylor Sirard?

Bernadette[my beloved RV] and I left town much later in the year than originally planned. I adjusted the route accordingly, deciding to head straight south instead of a slow tour down the East Coast. After a leak that left me stranded in Charleston, Illinois for a few nights, I planned to spend a few nights in Kentucky. I found a state park where I could seclude myself from the upcoming Thanksgiving and Black Friday traffic.

I stocked up on firewood on my way and arrived at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area late Thanksgiving eve. Even after dark the park revealed awesome scenery. Mirror-topped lakes displayed tree limbs descending towards a bed of stars. Finding a site next to the water, I parked Bernie and shimmied into bed.

I awoke crouched in my sleeping bag, a forcefield of warmth protecting me from the freezing Kentucky night. It was about 12:30 am and I could feel blood seeping through the seam of my Thinx. Since getting my IUD, my periods have been hard to manage. I knew I would need to leave my sleeping cocoon, and deal with my annoying ability to produce human life. I stalled for a half an hour, dreading the loss of warmth I was about to endure.

My flashlight reflected frost covered grass and decaying leaves as I walked to the restroom. The blackness of the sky wasn’t polluted by the light of any human, only punctured by the abundance of stars displayed above me.

Vault toilets are not meant for menstruating people in the middle of a thirty-degree night.

After a failed attempt to fall back asleep(one I knew would require interrupting in a few hours), I got in the driver’s seat and left Land Between the Lakes by two am.

I set my course towards Athens, Georgia. My Father was visiting his ill Uncle there. It is where his cousins live, and the next stop I had planned with running water. I managed to sleep four hours in the campground, so I was by no means exhausted. Actually, I left feeling invigorated by the heat filling Bernadette.

The sky remained clear through the night.

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